Picking up the pace...

How Did I Miss This “Day”?

National Cat Lady Day began in 2017 – to celebrate cat lovers and reduce the stigma of being a ‘cat lady.’ On this day, give your cat some special attention and celebrate the love of felines! The picture is from WNEM-TV (channel 5), a television station licensed to Bay City, Michigan, United States, serving northeastern Michigan as a dual affiliate of CBS and MyNetworkTV - hope they don't mind!

Kittens Are Coming! Please Foster!

We currently have 4 Moms & Babies families on hand. Three gave birth at the building and one was brought in soon after giving birth, for a total of 21 newborns. Another family will be coming in soon. In general, these are feral moms and need to be in large crates, housed in a peaceful environment, to care for their kittens until the kittens are of age to be weaned at 5 – 6 weeks. Then the moms are spayed and returned to the outside home they have known. Occasionally the females will realize that living inside could be what they are looking for, then they are fostered themselves and find inside homes. We need fosters that can house these cat families for a month or so until they can move on to the next step. That means limited interaction with the mom, monitoring the kittens, keeping our foster coordinators informed of progress as the kittens age, etc. This can be challenging as so many cat lovers feel that they can change the feral mom’s outlook but we have to let the cats decide for themselves what their future should be. Or we will have a semi-feral cat on our hands to try to find a home for and that is not good for the cat or for Feral Fixers 😊. We are doing our best to prevent kittens – that is what TNR is all about – but kittens still happen. The moms take care of feeding, cleaning, all the fosters need to do is feed them mom, scoop the litter box and monitor everyone’s health. While our building is a great place for most cats, there is still a lot of activity and noise at times which does not agree with feral mom cats. This volunteer contribution can have a huge impact on these cat families – mom gets peace, quiet and care, the kittens have a bright future of a happy indoor home when they are old enough. Fostering is split between adult cats, kittens, and moms & babies. Each require different talents and skills. Please consider helping Feral Fixers’ adoptables by fostering any cat-egory!

Boo Boo gifted us with SEVEN kittens when she arrived in TNR.  6 black and one gray, it is not easy to sex them when they are just born so we don't know yet their sexes.  Boo Boo gives slow blinks as she growls - not confusing to the humans at all!

When we come into TNR in the morning we can be presented with 'Blessed Events' that happened overnight - 4/1/25.  This is Sunny and her babies who are all now in foster.

Suki and her kittens (click on the picture to see a short video)

Feral Fixers TNR Workshop

Learn more about TNR! We’re hosting a TNR Workshop at our building – 330 Eisenhower Ln N, Lombard, IL – 4-30-25 Wednesday 6:30PM (rescheduled to May 14th at 6:30pm). Come with your questions, do some networking, learn the pros and cons of different traps and how to get “your” ferals neutered! We are doing a mid-week, evening event to enable more people to attend!

Fundraiser At Panera!

Join us at Panera Bread, 1400 Butterfield Rd, Downers Grove, IL on Friday, May 30th, from 4 – 8 PM. Your purchase will result in a 25% donation from Panera to Feral Fixers! Plenty of time to get this on your calendars – print a flyer or download to bring to event. Hope to see you there!!!

Chicago Plans New Rat Attack

The City of Chicago plans a new method of rat control – using cottonseed oil baits that act as birth control, it will be deployed in bait boxes in several pilot program areas. Studies have shown no ill effects on pets and children.

Evolve rodent birth control, like Evolve Mouse Soft Bait, affects cats indirectly by influencing the rodent population. The product's effects on rodent fertility, and thus the rodent population, become noticeable after 1-2 breeding cycles (approximately 4-6 weeks). It's unlikely to directly harm cats, as the product is designed to be safe for non-target species. 

Here's a more detailed explanation:

How it works:

  • Evolve Mouse Soft Bait contains an active ingredient that disrupts the reproductive cycle of rodents, making them less likely to produce offspring. 

Indirect impact on cats:

  • If used effectively, Evolve can reduce the rodent population, potentially meaning cats will encounter fewer rodents. 

Safety for cats:

  • The active ingredient in Evolve is designed to be safe for cats and other pets.

Time to see effects:

  • The changes in the rodent population, and thus potentially the impact on cats, will take some time to become noticeable, typically after 1-2 breeding cycles (4-6 weeks).

Long-term solution:

Determined To Make an Impact!

We have neutered 165 cats in 2025! This is more than what we had done at this time last year and we hope the trend continues! Many thanks to the caretakers and trappers who are going to make a difference this year!

  • 4/3 – DCAS – 22 ferals, 7 female, 15 males, one already neutered. We had two ‘blessed events’ from females who gave birth after arrival in our TNR room, they moved to our Caturnity room to be cared for.
  • 4/8/25 – DCAS – 4 feral males. We had intended to take this week off, the cats were not cooperative!
  • 4/17/25 – DCAS – 24 ferals, 12 female, 12 males. We had an additional male that did not get neutered as he had an upper respiratory infection and will be neutered next week as the antibiotics make him a better candidate for sedation. Also in this bunch were two females with pyometra – they might not have survived if not for their spay surgery.
  • 4/18/25 – DCAS – 1 male feral. Caretakers had been trying to trap KitKat due to his severe face wound. Too late for 4/17 trip, DCAS was willing to examine and neuter him on the 18th. While it is a huge injury, it had already started to heal a bit on its own and we will hold onto him until he can be re-released safely.

Total: April to-date 50, year-to-date 165 and since 2007 15,899.

From 4/3 trip - never know what will be going on in TNR room!

04/17/25 trip - 25 cats from 17 different locations!

As Many As Possible As Soon As Possible

Adoption Event – 4/26/25 - THIS HAS BEEN CANCELLED

Saturday, April 26th, 11AM to 3PM at 330 Eisenhower Ln N, Lombard, IL. Older kittens and adults for the most part as kittens from outside are still too young for neutering. Life is challenging right now and that definitely affects pet owners, resulting in returns. Often this means that we know so much more about these cats and their behaviors and needs, resulting in finding the best new home for them. Please think about how you can make a lasting difference in the lives of these cats. Adoption application can be filled out in advance to be pre-approved. Check out our cats on our Adoptables page.

This is Kallie.  Caretaker found homes for siblings, she will soon move on to Cats in Transition and then on to foster. Spay is still several weeks away, so not currently adoptable.  She is a wonderful kitten!